Slow Start Hurts McCann in Loss to St. Joe's

PITTSFIELD, Mass — The odds were stacked against the McCann Tech boys' basketball team when it drew the No. 16 seed in the Division 3 Western Mass. tournament and a first-round date with No. 1 Saint Joseph's. Those odds got even higher when the Hornets spotted the Crusaders a 32-12 lead after one quarter on Tuesday night.

McCann came back strong and competed until the end, but it could not avoid falling 81-59 at the Boys' and Girls' Club. The Hornets finish the 2011-12 season with a record of 11-11, while St. Joe's moves on to a quarterfinal date with defending champion Lenox on Friday night.

After falling behind by 20 points after the first quarter, Justin Kratz's team outscored the hosts 20-18 in the second frame. Any idea of a second-half run went away in the third quarter, however, as the Crusaders outscored the visitors 23-10 to extend their lead to 31 points. McCann kept coming in the fourth quarter, though, outscoring St. Joe's 17-8 to close out the game.

Hornets' forward Mike Chappell closed out a terrific season with a 20-point, six-rebound, seven-assist effort in his final game. Classmates Nate Guttman and Zach Giron also finished their careers strong. Guttman came through with 13 points and seven assists, while Giron added 12 points and eight rebounds.

Junior Michael Carpenter led all scorers with 21 points for the Crusaders, who also got 19 points out of junior Tank Roberson.